I'm here, sorry for the late update. Unfortunately i've been diagnosed with something that, let's just say i'm not a happy camper. Because of that life got in the way and I wasn't able to update. But here I am ready to rock again! I've also started with two new stories, one dedicated to a fan and one that I've been wanted to do for a while. But without further ado, here's the new chapter!
Yusuke and the others could not believe their eyes when they saw the screen. Their friend, Shuichi, stabbed and left to die.
"Kurama!" Yusuke shouted before his senses overflowed with fear of a new power awakened.
"Oh my! What is this? A power that I've never felt before is surging from the battle grounds of Kurama and Kiyoshi!" Koto explained. Everyone looked toward the screen and a woman was found in the center of the energy. "The energy that's spilling forth seems to come from a woman, how odd, where did she come from?" Koto questioned.
"Urameshi, I know this is gonna sound weird but that energy feels almost like Naota's." Kuwabara said.
"What?" Yusuke said.
"I don't know why, but I get the feeling that Naota and that woman are the same." Kuwabara explained.
"Then we have to find a way to get there." Yusuke said. Kuwabara nodded and they both looked for the flying platforms.
The time is now, fly.
"I must go Hiei, too bad you didn't get to test your blade on me." Tanya said before a blue flame enveloped her body and she turned into an ocean blue dragon. With a beat of her large wings, she was airborne and flew towards the platform where the surge of energy was.
The woman looked around and brought her hands to her face. She rubbed her fingers together, touched her clothes, her armor and finally walked over to where Shuichi rested. She looked at him, feeling a cold shiver come across her body. Kiyoshi stood behind her, hearing Tanya getting nearer.
"Master, we must be leaving." Kiyoshi said.
"...Yes." She replied. Tanya landed in a clearing next to them and Kiyoshi helped his master onto her back. She looked back at Shuichi's body one last time before Tanya took to the air again. Meanwhile, Kuwabara and Yusuke were haphazardly trying to fly the camera golem over to where Shuichi was. When they came near the platform they ditched the golem and started running towards Shuichi. Finally they encountered him, lying still on the ground, blood pooling around him.
"Kurama." Yusuke whispered as he ran towards him. He knelt down and put his head near his heart, there was no pulse.
"Is he really...?" Kuwabara started. Yusuke balled his hands into fists and punched the ground next to him. He gritted his teeth and felt some tears in his eyes.
"Yea...he's..." Yusuke let out a shaky breath. "Dead."
"You should look closer Yusuke." Startled, Yusuke looked at Hiei who has walked over to where they were.
"What do you mean look closer! I listened, he doesn't have a fricking heart beat!" Yusuke yelled.
"As do I, and so do you. Did you forget that our hearts pulse differently than humans?" Hiei said nonchalantly. After a couple of minutes of silence, someone laughed. Yusuke shocked and with tears streaming down his face comically, saw how Shuichi started laughing.
"Uh...wait a minute, you're supposed to be dead." Yusuke said.
"Yes, well, how could I interrupt such a moment? You were in tears." Shuichi said.
"Hey Kurama you're ok! Urameshi you crybaby." Kuwabara laughed out before getting sucker punched.
"But, how, you're covered in blood." Yusuke said. Shuichi got up and pressed his ruined outfit.
"It's a superficial wound and most of the blood isn't my own. It's Yasu's." Shuichi said.
"Wait, Yasu? Wasn't Kiyoshi with you?" Kuwabara said.
"Kiyoshi is Yasu. They are the same person. We were wrong all along about his reasons and why this is all happening." Shuichi explained. He got up and dusted himself off.
"What are you talking about?" Yusuke asked.
"Yasu was never intending to revive Akuma, he wanted to revive his old master, the lover of Akuma." Shuichi said. "When he stabbed me, he also shared with me telepathically everything that he has done up to this point. We should be meeting with Botan, I'll explain everything."
The gang finally was on solid ground, away from the panicked crowd. As everyone gathered around Shuichi, he took a big breath.
"Before I begin, we must understand that Yasu has been doing this out of necessity rather than his own will. He was put under a blood oath to serve his master. At first he was doing as she ordered, out of love, but that changed." Shuichi started. "Let me start from the beginning."
00000
The only sounds coming from the forest was from a small stream, trickling down. Then a silver flash came onto the bank, his light blue and grey robes never touching the ground. His long silver hair in a pony tail and his bright golden eyes eyeing the water. He dipped his long clawed hands in the water and smiled. He took a simple drink and started to sprint along the bank until the stream turned into a river. Using his speed he took a single fish and started to cook it.
After it was well charred he started to eat but his dinner was interrupted when he felt a burst of spirit energy coming from behind him. Curiosity led him to a small clearing, a priestess with armor strode calmly towards a small leveled demon trying to scurry away.
"You foul wretched soul. Go back to your creator from whence you came!" She said, pulling out her long bow and stretching the string. He watched as her energy created a single arrow. She released it. The demon sought to get away but it was ultimately futile. The arrow lodged in his back, and with a burst of energy, he was dead. Golden eyes grew wide as the priestess continued on her way. His heart captivated by her strength, he began to follow her.
That was the first time Yasu laid his eyes on her, but their first meeting, was far from perfect.
Yasu hit the ground hard, the arrow piercing his side hurt immensely. His gasps came out short as he scrambled towards the closest tree. He held pressure on his wound and looked towards his assailant. The priestess came to him, slowly and silently. She nocked her spirit arrow and Yasu wondered if this would be the end of him.
"Any last words creature?" She asked.
"Yes. May I know your name?" Yasu asked.
"So you can hunt me down as soon as you reincarnate?" She said.
"No. I have always marveled at your beauty. Putting a name on a beautiful woman like you would put me at ease." Yasu said. She lowered her bow and turned her back.
"Nobuko." She said simply and walked away.
His obsession grew from there. His relationship began to mirror Sensui's and Itsuki's relationship from the past as they grew closer, she began to accept the idea of demons reforming. That is the reason why she allied herself with Akuma but Yasu saw the darkness inside his heart and how he lied to Nobuko. He became a traitor.
"King Yama! We found this demon entering our camp!" Special forces of the spirit world came and made Yasu kneel at King Yama's feet. Yasu peered up and saw the sheer size of him, but his head was forced down again.
"Who are you to invade the camp on your own? Your arrogance betrays you. Execute him." He said. Yasu began to chuckled. "I fail to see the humor in your predicament."
"I came here a traitor King Yama. I have a way to stop this war, but I need your help." Yasu said.
"And why should I believe you?" King Yama said.
"Do you have any other evidence to believe otherwise other than I'm a demon?" Yasu said. King Yama stayed quiet while his soldiers looked on.
"...You have a solution?" King Yama asked and Yasu smirked.
From there Yasu gave him his seal which required immense amount of spirit, demon and sacred energy. Performing the seal would strip the users of most of their energy and so the candidates were chosen. Yasu was the one who would deliver his demon energy. Yasu betrayed Akuma, his ideal world where all 3 worlds to live in peace was a sham. He wanted to rule all and Nobuko couldn't see it. But there was a factor he didn't expect; Nobuko was with child.
Nobuko laid on a futon, a child was crying in Yasu's arms. Blood pooled around her, her breaths coming in short.
"Yasu..." Nobuko gasped out, "Your last order, for now. Split my soul and let me live on inside my descendants. Until the time comes for a true heir. My love...our dream will come true." Nobuko said as Yasu split her soul in two. One he carried in his, the other through her child.
From then on Yasu continued to look after her descendants until someone suitable can handle the power of his master. He found Naota. He tried bringing back his master when she was younger but it proved futile.
"Either way, even if this body fails me, I can always take another body. After today, after you kill me, you will never remember me or Naota. Do it, I have to start searching again anyway." Yasu said, looking down, waiting for the killing strike. Shuichi got ready. Just then, a glowing energy overtook Yasu. Both boys gasped as a blast of energy erupted from Yasu's chest and into Naota.
"But that failed, in the end only their souls were joined as one. Naota's personality came out and her body was still not strong enough to sustain Nobuko. Yasu took Naota to train her and in 10 years she has come close to finally awakening his master, but instead his feelings for Naota grew stronger. He didn't want to lose Naota so instead he reformed his plan to destroy Akuma so his master can finally rest. He has planned this for several years but he is still bound to his blood oath. The factors to finalize his plan are all here now. Kuwabara, Hiei, Yusuke and I, we need to follow him and we need to put a stop to him. It's all up to us now." Shuichi finished explaining, letting the new information sink in.
"I'm in." Yusuke said simply. Hiei nodded.
"Yea! Let's go save the world again!" Kuwabara shouted. Shuichi let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you."Shuichi said, bowing his head.
The door leading to their room opened with a bang and in strode Koenma.
"Nice entrance, what you need your diaper changed?" Yusuke joked.
"No, the scroll. It finally opened. Here." Koenma goes to the small table in the middle of the room and unfurls it. A map with a trail. "I'm guessing this x is where Akuma is hiding out, and probably where Yasu and that woman went to."
"Alright then, what are we waiting for!" Yusuke said, getting up.
"It takes a week to get there by foot, you all be careful." Koenma said.
"We'll be back." Yusuke said, taking the map and getting on their way. Botan sighed.
"I wonder if they'll get out of this alright." Botan said.
"Even if they don't my father is already preparing for the worst. He's already gathering his special army in case they don't make it." Koenma explained.
"He doesn't trust them does he?" Botan said.
"He doesn't trust anyone, but we do have to be ready. Akuma is like a god, surpassing S class. I'll be surprised if we manage to get all of them back alive." Koenma said.
"Don't say that." Botan said, tearing up.
"We must prepare for the worst Botan. That's all we can do now."
00000
Yasu looked on as Nobuko meditates in his time sphere, his face in a scowl. 'She's becoming stronger very quickly. If Kurama and the rest can't get here in time...the seal will be broken, and all will be lost.' He looked behind him, a stone with various carvings, sticking up from the ground. An ominous energy emitting from it.
Nobuko felt her subconscious fall deeper until she found her meditating point. She saw Naota sitting in front of a dried up rose bush, her eyes holding no life, her knees up to her chest. Nobuko walked closer to her and sat next to her.
"You will be lost forever if you continue this way but that would be the best for both of us. We cannot live together. One must die for the other to survive. I know what it feels like to lose your loved one. I am sorry, but it had to be." Nobuko said, Naota didn't give back a reaction. She sighed, not knowing what do to comfort her other self. 'I know I must absorb her, she holds the key to unlocking my spiritual energy. I must realize my sacred energy once again. Soon my love, you will be resurrected, and we can finally rule to a world of peace.'
Yasu continues his vigilance over his master, wondering if Yusuke's gang is coming to finally put an end to this.
"Time is a resource I don't have. Please, you must come soon. If you don't...He will come back."
Akuma will rise again.
And so Yasu's plan has finally been completed, but now there is a strange twist, wasn't he the villain we always knew? Will the guys get there in time to stop the resurrection of Akuma or will Nobuko succeed? Find out in the next chapter of Someone I can Love!